He physically splits his time living in an eco-village on the Gold Coast and the hills around the Lockyer Valley.

He also straddles the two very different worlds of organic farming and mining. He admits it is an odd pairing, but it doesn't create any internal conflict.

"I'm a geologist by trade as well as being an environmentalist. I don't have a problem with human requirements," he said.

"I guess I call myself pragmatic."

Along with several partners he "bought a hill" in the valley with a plan to extract diatomaceous earth from the ground.

Diatomaceous earth is a soft sedimentary rock used in various applications from cat litter to insulation.

"But we use it primarily for an organic insecticide," he said.

Mr Lewington grew organic macadamia nuts on a different property for several years before heading back to his first love of geology.

"I was driven to change businesses because using something natural like this as an insecticide is exciting to me," he said.

The diatomaceous earth exists in a three metre seam underneath a large amount of basalt rock. What to do with the basalt proved a problem for Guy until he gained approval to sell it to Main Roads for road base.

He says it feels good to make an income from a potential waste product from his mine.

"I think you have to look and think about what you are mining to improve the planet," he said.

In keeping with his 'use it all' approach, Mr Lewington is excited by a by-product of the by-product, a rock mineral dust he calls palaganite.

"It's primarily organic growers who use it," he said.

"They are constrained in the fertilisers they can use, so [they] use rock mineral dust as an alternative to chemical fertilisers."

He believes mineral-based insecticides and fertilisers are the future for farming.

But the application to extract 100,000 tonnes of basalt from the mine, turning it into a quarry, has not been universally accepted in the region.

A neighbour took the application to the Land and Environment Court and eventually sold the property to Mr Lewington's group.

"I'm a miner, yes. But I see a need for an alternative for chemical fertilisers," he said.

"Over the horizon I see the challenge for the farming community to give it a go.

"The organic end has taken it on first, hopefully the conventional farmers will come across as well."